Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Jazz”
Bass, Jazz Ensemble Coach Matt Stavrakas is from Medfield, Massachusetts, and began playing the upright bass at age 15. After participating in the nationwide Essentially Ellington competition at Lincoln Center with the Medfield High School jazz band, Matt knew he wanted to pursue a career in music. Matt graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music in 2014, where he …
Trombone, Jazz Ensemble Coach Clayton DeWalt is one of the most sought after freelance trombonists in New England. He is equally at home in a section or as a soloist, and has made a career of studying and performing virtually all styles of music. Growing up in rural Western Pennsylvania, Clayton began playing music with his father on piano, and …
Bass, Jazz Ensemble Coach J.P. Heston has been teaching music for over 10 years. Growing up in Ogdensburg, NJ he got his first guitar/bass when he was 11 years old and played with local bands in high school and in church. He started studying jazz and advanced music theory with Jeff Ciampa in 2010. He eventually began playing in several …
Jazz Drums Isaac Hiller is a Boston-based drummer who plays for an eclectic mix of groups spanning many genres including jazz, rock, pop, funk, blues, country, and gospel. Isaac started playing drums at age 11 and has over a decade of performing experience under his belt. Receiving his music education at Clark University and Berklee College of Music, Isaac learned …
Jazz Piano Jeri grew up singing the songs of her beloved Laura Nyra and Joni Mitchell while listening to the progressive rock bands of the 1970’s. After graduating from Boston College with a degree in philosophy and literature she decided to get serious about her piano playing. She studied jazz improvisation with the legendary Charlie Banacos and followed her new …
Jazz Bass Sean Farias teaches jazz bass and jazz ensembles at RSC. He earned a Bachelor’s of Music from UMass-Dartmouth and a Master’s Degree from Longy School of Music. s.farias@rivers.org
Saxophone, Jazz Department Chair Director, Jazz Program, The Rivers School Philippe Crettien, saxophone, is the Jazz Department Director for both RSC and The Rivers Upper School. He earned his BA from Berklee College of Music and the French Lycée of London. In addition to touring in Europe and South America with the Philippe Crettien Quartet, he has performed with Andy …
Jazz Guitar Phil Sargent has worked with a number of prominent musicians including Jerry Bergonzi, John Lockwood, Fernando Huergo, Bruno Raberg, Bob Moses, Matt Wilson, Phil Grenadier, Yosuke Inoue, Thomson Kneeland and others. He studied at the University of New Hampshire and with critically acclaimed guitarists Ben Monder, and Brad Shepik. Phil leads his own group whose compositions draw from …
Jazz Guitar Patrick Mottaz, guitar, specializes in jazz, blues, rock and pop, covering techniques specific to both acoustic and electric guitar. He is an active performer in the Boston area and his work can be heard on numerous recordings with the Marlene Ensemble, MCFC, Gifrants, and many others. He also writes music and performs with the Philippe Crettien quartet. He …
Jazz Percussion, Jazz Ensembles Mike Connors studied at Berklee College of music and has performed internationally with several groups, including Combustible Edison, John Funkhouser Trio, Charlie Kohlhasse, Jazz Composers Alliance, and The Sonic Explorers. He also teaches at Clark University and Worcester Polytechnic institute. m.connors@rivers.org
